Lucknow is now more special for me: Shilpa

The Manmarziyaan (Lootera) and Ghungroo (War) singer Shilpa Rao was recently in the state capital. After tying the knot with her bestie, Lucknowite Ritesh Krishnan in 2021, Rao of late got a chance to visit her sasural for the very first time in all these years.

“My last work-related trip to Lucknow was in 2018 for a show. Lucknow been special for me since I was a child. I have been here many a times for performances. Ritesh (a professional photographer) is born and bought up here and has some beautiful childhood and growing-up memories from this place. So, he keeps on sharing those. That’s more the reason that this place has a different meaning for me altogether. It’s lovely to see the city from the perceptive of someone who is so close to you. It makes a lot difference and it’s a personal thing,” says the singer.

Talking about her new found Lucknow connect, Rao adds, “The moment I landed in the city, I went to Ritesh’s parents’ house in Patrakar Puram in Gomti Nagar. His sister, brother-in-law and all came over to meet me. It was a very special moment. Last year, I had taken him to Jamshedpur, my town. It’s a very special feeling to meet each other’s family and visit our home towns. I strongly feel that the vibes of both these cities are very similar. Both of them are no longer small towns and have progressed well on global platform.”

A lot is of happening for Rao on music front after the chartbuster Besharam Rang (Pathaan, 2022). “Our industry has become very diverse. Now, we rarely get films with a score of songs. Similarly, we singers too had to evolve and adapt with varied forms of music by collaborating, trying Indie music, gigs and more. That’s the reason independent music has become really big and singers are thriving. It’s a very happy scenario as that era of putting music in one bracket (films) is gone now.”